Party plate

ABSTRACT

A party place setting that facilitates the manipulation of food and drink with a single hand. Such place settings are of sturdy manufacture to allow for the support of food and drink with one hand via the place setting. The place setting may be manufactured from materials that lend to environmentally friendly practices.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The present invention generally relates to party place settings. More specifically, the present invention relates to biodegradable place settings that allow for simultaneous manipulation of food and drink.

2. Description of the Related Art

Parties often involve food and drink in the context of company and conversation. A party guest will inevitably find themselves with a plate of food in one hand and a drinking glass in the other. Upon encountering an old acquaintance or taking part in an introduction, the party guest encounters a moment of social awkwardness with respect to shifting food and drink to one hand to thereby free the other for a handshake. Even after a successful shift of food and drink to a single hand, the party guest must maintain a precarious balance of hors d′oeuvres and wine concurrent with the handshake and exchange of pleasantries.

Even absent an introductory handshake, it is often difficult to utilize a dining utensil such as a fork or spoon in the same hand as a drink while maintaining the balance and support of a plate full of food in the other. The party guest must find a place to temporarily place their drink or risk the embarrassment of a spill. The personal experience of almost any party guest suggests that at least one lost drink as a result of this process is a certainty during the course of a party.

Notwithstanding a clumsy handshake or the possibility of an embarrassing spill, most party hosts avoid using expensive or permanent place settings. In many instances, a party host makes such a choice to avoid breakage of a more expensive place setting. The number of party guests, too, may simply outnumber the available settings of ‘good china.’ Regardless of the particular motivation, many party hosts will utilize disposable place settings that avoid breakage and are plentiful in number without incurring a significant cost. These disposable place settings are often cheap in price because they are cheap in material of manufacture. As a result, these disposable place settings are often un-sturdy (thereby leading to spills in their own right) and environmentally unfriendly. These cheaply made and manufactured place settings are often used once and then disposed of whereby they occupy landfills for months if not years due to extended decomposition times.

There is a need in the art for a party place setting that obviates the aforementioned problems associated with currently available place settings. Such a place setting should facilitate the manipulation of food and drink with a single hand. Such a place setting should also be of sturdy manufacture and lend itself to environmentally friendly practices.

SUMMARY OF THE CLAIMED INVENTION

In one embodiment, a polystyrene plate is claimed. The polystyrene plate includes a food compartment and an integrated multi-use cup holder. The cup holder is separated from the food compartment by a raised edge. Food and drink may be held by a user of the plate with one hand.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a biodegradable party plate having a rectangular configuration.

FIG. 1A illustrates an alternative view of the party plate of FIG. 1 having a rectangular configuration.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a biodegradable party plate and having a circular configuration.

FIG. 2A illustrates an alternative view of the party plate of FIG. 2 having a circular configuration.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Embodiments of the present invention provide for a party place setting (i.e., a party plate) that facilitates the manipulation of food and drink with a single hand. Such place settings are of sturdy manufacture to allow for the support of food and drink with one hand via the place setting. The presently claimed place settings may further be manufactured from materials that lend to environmentally friendly practices.

FIG. 1 illustrates a biodegradable party plate 100 having a rectangular configuration. Party plate 100 includes multiple food compartments 110-130 and an integrated, multiple-use cup holder 140. Cup holder 140 may hold cocktail glasses, stemmed glasses, 4.5 ounce water bottles, and 12 ounce cans. The integrated cup holder 140 of the party plate 100 of FIG. 1 allows the guest or user to hold their food mid drink in one hand thereby leaving their other hand free to eat and greet.

The party plate 100 of FIG. 1 is manufactured from polystyrene, which is an aromatic polymer derived from styrene. Being a thermoplastic substance, polystyrene is solid at room temperature but flows when heated above its transition temperature, which allows for molding. In its solid state, polystyrene can be cast into molds with fine detail and can take on various colors. The molding process also allows for the creation of smooth, non-jagged edges along the side of the party plate 100. Molding may also allow for stacking of multiple party plates 100, which may be of use with respect to packing or storage.

The use of polystyrene allows for party plate 100 to be sturdy and durable thereby avoiding breakage, which would otherwise be encountered with heavy porcelain or china. The polystyrene is also lightweight, especially when compared to prior art party plates that are manufactured out of wood or acrylic. Because party plate 100 is lightweight, this aids in the balance of food and drink with a single hand.

The polystyrene of party plate 100 may be blended with compositions intended to accelerate the decomposition and disintegration of the plate 100 after use. An example of such a polystyrene composition is Prime Impax 450 with Vanish, which is available from Primex Plastics Corporation of Richmond, Ind. Substances manufactured with Prime Impax with Vanish allow the polystyrene to become ‘food’ for micro-organisms in a landfill. The microorganisms then “eat” the plate, which disappears in as little as 180 days although usually within one year. Prior art party plates manufactured from wood, acrylic, or other substances may otherwise occupy a landfill for years.

The configuration and location of food compartments 110-130 further aids in the balancing of food and drink with a single hand via the party plate 100. The food compartments 110-130 are symmetrically configured with sloped edges lending to the ergonomic control of the party plate 100. The generous area of the food compartments 110-130 and the aforementioned sloped edges aid in keeping food and sauces away from the fingers of a party guest.

One or more of food compartments 110-130 may include advertising or other communications introduced to the plate 100 during the manufacturing process. For example, the manufacturer of the party plate 100 may introduce their logo or trademark in one or more of the compartments. Similarly, a party acquiring a large number of plates 100 for a special event may request (as a part of their order) that their corporate logo or some other message or indicia of sponsorship be included in the compartment areas 110-130.

The cup holder 140 includes a number of levels 150A and 150B that allow for the insertion and steady control of any number of drinking instruments. For example, a first level may be best suited for stem ware whereas a larger level may be better suited for a water bottle or canned drink. In the case of stemware, the cup holder 140 also includes a cut out area 160 to allow the ‘cup’ of the stemware to remain generally level with the rest of the plate 100 while the ‘stem’ of the stemware dangles below the plate 100.

The cup holder 140 of party plate 100 also includes a raised edge 170. The raised edge 170 in FIG. 1 is approximately one inch in size. This raised edge 170 keeps food and sauces away from the glass or other drinking instrument that may be located within the cup holder 140.

FIG. 1A illustrates an alternative view of the party plate 100 of FIG. 1 having a rectangular configuration. Corresponding elements from FIG. 1 are similarly numbered with respect to FIG. 1A.

FIGS. 1B and 1C illustrate a further embodiment of the party plate 100 of FIG. 1 and having a rectangular configuration. The party plate 100 of FIGS. 1B and 1C correspond to one another with respect to FIG. 1B reflecting a plan view of the party plate 100 whereas FIG. 1C is a perspective view of the same. The party plate 100 embodiments of FIGS. 1B and 1C depart from that illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 1A in that the cup holder 140 omits levels 150A and 150B. The plate 100 still allows for the insertion and steady control of any number of drinking instruments through the use of a series of beveled teeth 180, which are similar to those teeth illustrated in FIG. 2 below (240).

FIGS. 1B and 1C also illustrate a stacking lug 190. While the plate 100 of FIGS. 1B and 1C include four stacking lugs 190—two of which are located near a side edge of the plate 100 and an addition two in the cup holder 140—any number of lugs 190 may be used. The stacking lugs 190 allow for a series of plates 100 to be stacked upon one another to create a ‘snug’ fit such that the stacked plates 100 do not easily topple over or lose balance. The lugs 190 create enough friction between the surfaces of different plates 100 such that there is some resistance with respect to removal but not so much as to prevent the same. The lugs 190 create an effective ‘snap fit’ allowing for easy coupling and decoupling.

FIGS. 1B and 1C also illustrate a logo or advertising area 195. In the logo or advertising area 195, the name of a particular manufacturer or seller of the plate 100 may be introduced. The logo or advertising area 195 may be an actual part of the plate 100 whereby the name is introduced as a raised or depressed part of the plate 100 surface during manufacturing. The logo or advertising area 195 may also allow for introduction of a label that is affixed by a party following manufacture of the plate 100. In some embodiments, and as discussed above, the logo or advertising area 195 may be located as a part of a food compartment or food compartments to allow for introduction of an advertisement or some other message.

FIG. 2 illustrates an alternative embodiment of a biodegradable party plate 200 and having a circular configuration. Party plate 200 of FIG. 2 includes a food compartment area 210 and multiple-user cup holder 220 like the party plate 100 of FIG. 1. The party plate 200 of FIG. 2 is similar to the party plate 100 of FIG. 1 with respect to polystyrene manufacture, biodegradable, and molding.

Food compartment 210 is generally symmetrical and enjoys generous size and sloped edges that allow for ergonomic control as was the case of party plate 100 of FIG. 1. The cup holder 210 of FIG. 2 also has a raised edge 230 like its counterpart in FIG. 1 to prevent food and sauces from coming into contact with a drink or beverage located within the cup holder 220.

Unlike cup holder 140 of FIG. 1, which uses a series of levels 150 to manage control of a beverage, cup holder 220 of FIG. 2 uses a series of beveled teeth 240 to maintain control over a particular beverage container. The cup holder 220 of FIG. 2 is otherwise similar with respect to a cut out area 250 to allow for insertion of stemware.

FIG. 2A illustrates an alternative view of the party plate 200 of FIG. 2 having a circular configuration. Corresponding elements from FIG. 2 are similarly numbered with respect to FIG. 2A.

While not specifically illustrated, the party plate 200 of FIGS. 2 and 2A may also include stacking lugs as discussed in the context of FIGS. 1B and 1C. The party plate 200 of FIGS. 2 and 2A may likewise include an advertising or logo area as was also discussed in the context of FIGS. 1B and 1C.

While various embodiments have been described above, it should be understood that they have been presented by way of example only, and not limitation. The descriptions are not intended to limit the scope of the invention to the particular forms set forth herein. Thus, the breadth and scope of a preferred embodiment should not be limited by any of the above-described exemplary embodiments. To the contrary, the present descriptions are intended to cover such alternatives, modifications, and equivalents as may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and otherwise appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art. The scope of the invention should, therefore, be determined not with reference to the above description, but instead should be determined with reference to the appended claims along with their full scope of equivalents. 

1. A plate, comprising: at least one food compartment; and an integrated multi-use cup holder, wherein the cup holder is separated from the at least one food compartment by a raised edge, the plate being manufactured from material sturdy enough to allow a user of the plate to support both food and drink in the plate with one hand.
 2. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate is round.
 3. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate is rectangular.
 4. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate is manufactured from a biodegradable polystyrene composition that accelerates decomposition and disintegration.
 5. The plate of claim 1, wherein the at least one food compartment has a sloped edge.
 6. The plate of claim 1, wherein the at least one food compartment includes advertising.
 7. The plate of claim 2, wherein the cup holder includes beveled teeth.
 8. The plate of claim 3, wherein the cup holder includes multiple levels.
 9. The plate of claim 1, wherein the cup holder includes a cut away area.
 10. The plate of claim 1, wherein the molding of the plate allows for stacking of the plate with multiple other plates of the same design.
 11. The plate of claim 10, wherein the molding of the plate includes a lug to further aid in stacking of the plate with multiple other plates of the same design.
 12. The plate of claim 11, wherein the lug creates enough friction between the surface of the plate with the surface of another plate from the multiple other plates of the same design such that there is resistance with respect to removal of the plate from the other plate, but not so much resistance as to prevent removal.
 13. The plate of claim 12, wherein the lug and corresponding friction creates a snap-tight fit.
 14. The plate of claim 1, wherein the plate includes a plurality of food compartments, each of the food compartments being symmetrical to one another.
 15. The plate of claim 8, wherein each of the multiple levels of the cup holder is suited for a different sized beverage container.
 16. The plate of claim 9, wherein the cut away area allows for the introduction of stem ware. 